My Favorite Films of the Last Decade (2010-2019)

A lot happened over the last decade. I started this decade in the middle of high school and ended it on the other side of the country in a professional program. A lot of movies have been released and while there are a lot I have yet to see, there are many that I have seen. Here are my top fifty favorite films of the last decade. This isn’t a list of which films I thought were the best, but rather my personal favorites. Outside of the top four films, this ranking reflects how I feel at the time of writing and is subject to change in the future, especially as I watch more movies from this decade. 50) Aladdin - This was a Disney live-action remake that surprised me, having enough changes to feel fresh and entertaining despite its similarities. 49) Pokemon Detective Pikachu - The ending of this film completely changes the meaning of the story and I absolutely loved it. 48) The Lego Batman Movie - I felt this film got a little too absurd in the third act, but it’s still very funny. 47) The Best of Enemies - Based on an incredible true story that the world needs to hear right now, this film is both touching and quite funny. 46) The Artist - As a lover of silent films, I really loved this modern silent film that’s very enjoyable and well-directed. 45) Creed - This film surprised me by how good it is and was much more touching than I expected. 44) The Peanuts Movie - A charming movie that captures the Peanuts beautifully with great animation and a touching story that gets to the heart of why we love Charlie Brown and his friends. 43) The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part - While not as good as the first one, it’s still very funny and has a good message, as well as the most sarcastically catchy song of all time. 42) Blinded by the Light - A film that I found extremely relatable as a writer and easily accessible since I previously knew nothing about Bruce Springsteen. 41) Thor: Ragnorak - The best of the Thor movies, this film is absolutely hilarious and a ton of fun. 40) Star Wars: The Last Jedi - I do like this movie and while I did really The Rise of Skywalker, this one makes the cut of my top fifty of the decade by being a stronger film. 39) The King’s Speech - I know some people are mad that this film won Best Picture instead of The Social Network (which I have not seen), but I still think this is still a wonderfully made movie that deserved its accolades. Plus, it’s really funny and heartfelt. 38) The Hunger Games - While some people don’t like the use of shaky cam in this film, I think it works and overall, this is a strong introduction to the franchise and got me to read the books. 37) Star Trek Beyond - A really strong, enjoyable Star Trek film that I wish had done better at the box office because I really want a Star Trek 4 (please make this happen, Paramount!). This film also has a nice send-off for Leonard Nimoy. 36) Jumanji: The Next Level - It borrows a lot from the previous film, but it freshens things up enough to stand on its own and is still hilarious. 35) The Man Who Invented Christmas - A charming film that I appreciated even more because my father reads A Christmas Carol every Christmas. It’s also very relatable as a writer. 34) Yesterday - A clever premise and good humor make a wonderful, charming romantic comedy that’s a lot of fun. 33) Crazy Rich Asians - I was fortunate enough to see this funny rom-com at an early screening because otherwise, I might have missed out. 32) Knives Out - This film has a great cast, screenplay, and twists and turns and was one of the best films of 2019. 31) Cinderella - My favorite Disney live-action remake so far, this film improves on the original and while it’s not as good as Ever After, it’s still very good and my second favorite Cinderella film. 30) Big Hero 6 - This movie is hilarious, touching, and a lot of fun. Plus Baymax’s fist bump. Enough said. 29) Star Wars: The Force Awakens - A strong return to the Star Wars universe that returned to the feel of the originals. Despite its similarities to A New Hope, it’s still very enjoyable and a lot of fun. 28) Blade Runner 2049 - I didn’t see the original until right before seeing this and was disappointed by it. This was the movie I thought Blade Runner was - long and complex. Despite its length, it’s still engaging and not boring like its predecessor. 27) Avengers: Endgame - Satisfying conclusion to Marvel’s Infinity Saga and only one of two MCU movies that consistently makes me cry. 26) Spider-Man: Homecoming - This movie is hilarious, a ton of fun, and my favorite Spider-Man movie. 25) The Avengers - Before seeing this, I had only seen Iron Man 1 and 2, but this film did such a great job of combining all these franchises so I could understand what was going on. This was the film that got me invested in the MCU as a whole. 24) The Hunger Games: Catching Fire - The strongest of the Hunger Games films, this movie has some of the best moments of the franchise. 23) Guardians of the Galaxy - One of the biggest surprises of the MCU, this movie is so funny and touching. Plus it made “Ooga-Chaka” mainstream, something I never thought would ever happen. 22) Cars 3 - Pixar’s most underrated film, in my opinion, this movie is surprisingly mature and I found it extremely relatable. 21) Wonder Woman - The only modern DC film that I liked enough to own on DVD, I love this movie and am really looking forward to the sequel. 20) Hugo - This film is a masterpiece and Scorsese’s best film, an opinion I don’t think will change as I watch more of his films. A love letter to cinema and a great children’s movie based on a part of history that my mother thought would make a great movie years before it’s release. 19) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - A great villain and complex themes puts this film above the original on my list. It’s also the only other MCU film that consistently makes me cry. 18) Despicable Me 2 - I think this movie is better than the original. This movie is so hilarious, with that phone scene being one of the funniest scenes of the decade, in my opinion. 17) Flipped - Based on a book that I loved, this movie does a good job of adapting it closely, keeping the book’s structure of going back and forth between the two main characters’ points of view. 16) Frozen - I really love this film and am guilty of singing “Let it Go” a lot after its release along with everyone else. 15) The Muppets - A great return to their prime, this film was really fun and also had the best (or at least funniest) marketing campaign of the last decade. 14) Star Trek Into Darkness - I know a lot of people hate this film, but I really liked it and like it even better than The Wrath of Khan. 13) Leap Year - I probably wouldn’t have seen this film if my half-Irish best friend from high school hadn’t recommended it, but I’m glad she did. It does get better as it goes along, but I think it’s both funny and romantic. 12) Tangled - As someone who loves twists on fairy tales, I absolutely love how they twisted the story of Rapunzel in such a way that it almost makes more sense than the original fairy tale by explaining why she never cuts her hair and why her tears have healing power. 11) Inside Out - A return to form from Pixar and the last real comedy from the studio in the decade (in my opinion), this movie is funny, moving, and thematically complex in an insightful way. 10) Arthur Christmas - Quickly becoming one of my favorite Christmas movies of all time, this movie is so hilarious and instantly quotable. My dad actually nailed a sausage to a piece of bark one Christmas as a joke and a funny nod to this film. 9) Muppets Most Wanted - This movie is funnier than its predecessor and possibly has better songs (though its sort of a tie for me). 8) Coco - Not only a great film for diversity but a great film in general and one of Pixar’s best. I absolutely love this film’s complex themes and deep emotions. I’ve now started watching it every Day of the Dead as a new tradition. 7) Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle - The trailers intrigued me enough to check this out and it quickly became one of my favorite films of the decade. A great mix of comedy and action that’s a ton of fun, this is a movie I could easily watch over and over again. 6) Zootopia - Another very rewatchable film, not only does this film have a good message, but it also has great characters and clever comedy. “Try Everything” is also a great song and should have been nominated for an Oscar. 5) The Lego Movie - One of the biggest surprises of the decade, this is the most sarcastic movie I’ve ever seen and I love it. This has become a go-to movie whenever I’m in need of a comedy. 4) La La Land - The only film this decade that I saw a total of four times in theaters, I found this film extremely relatable, especially since I now live in Los Angeles. It also has a great soundtrack. 3) Letters to Juliet - I absolutely love this romantic comedy and it has one of my favorite endings of the decade. I also love how it’s very meta in paralleling Vanessa Redgrave and Franco Nero’s real-life romance. 2) Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales - Pirates of the Caribbean is my second favorite film franchise of all time. On Stranger Tides felt too much like an epilogue, while this film felt like the series was getting back on track. The ending also made me so happy, especially since the film was released ten years and a day after At World’s End (which is my favorite in the series). 1) The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - This was a no-brainer. The Chronicles of Narnia is my favorite film series of all time. While the third film is the weakest of the three, I still absolutely adore this movie and it is only one of two films that I’ve ever seen a total of five times in theaters (the other being At World’s End). I think this film is very underrated and under-watched and it’s an absolute tragedy that the series ends with this film, making this film’s ending all the sadder.